Toilet tissue reserve cabinet



Sept. 22, 1-970 H. E. CASSIDY JQOILIE'I TISSUE RESERVE CABINET Filed May19. 1969 INVENTOR- Hmzav E. CAssmY i'I/III Yn wfiw m IIIIIA IEA'I'I'ORNEYS United States Patent 3,529,877 TOILET TISSUE RESERVECABINET Harry E. Cassidy, 1625 NE. 160th St., North Miami Beach, Fla.33160 Filed May 19, 1969, Ser. No. 825,512

Int. Cl. B65h 19/00 US. Cl. 312-39 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the field ofstoring and dispensing and is more particularly related to a uniquelysimple and inexpensive means for storing and dispensmg one or more rollsof toilet paper. Even more specifically, this invention relates to thefield of toilet paper storing and dispensing means of the type which caneither be supported on a flat surface such as a table, or can bealternately attached to a wall.

The need for a satisfactory toilet paper storing and disepnsing meanshas been long felt and has resulted 1n numerous attempts to meet thishitherto unmet need. Various types of magazine and dispensing apparatusfor toilet paper, towelling and the like have been proposed in the past,but comparatively few of such devices have found acceptance. This lackof acceptance has been espeically true proposed for use in the home forvarious reasons. Examples of such reasons .are high initial cost and/oroverly complicated or sophisticated mechanisms which tends to beunreliable and break down. Moreover, certain of the other prior knowndevices for this purpose have suffered from the defect that they werecomplicated to load and beyond the mechanical ability or dexterity ofthe persons having the responsibility of loading and maintaining suchdevices.

Another disadvantage of a large segments of the prior known devices hasbeen that they have been almost universally designed to be mounted andsupported by a vertical wall and have been incapable of being separatelyused by being supported on a flat surface such as a table, or the top ofa toilet tank.

Other drawbacks of the prior known devices have been that they haveuniversally relied upon a single, vertical stacked array of rolls oftoilet paper for providing storage in the device. This arrangement,while fairly satisfactory in many instances, sometimes requires anoverly great vertical space for mounting and is impossible to use incertain locations. The US. patent to Scogin No. 2,592,346 provides anexample of a device of this sort. Similarly, the US. Pat. No. 2,620,991to Deffenbaugh also discloses a similar storage array and is alsoexemplary of many of the more complicated devices which have beenproposed for this relatively simple problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is the primary objection of thisinvention to provide a new and improved toilet paper storage anddispensing means which is both cheap to construct and easy and reliableto use.

Additionally, it is a further object of this invention to provide a newand improved toilet paper storage and 3,529,877 Patented Sept. 22, 1970ice dispensing means which can be employed by merely setting same on ahorizontal surface or can be alternatively attached to a vertical wallor the like.

Attainment of the objects of this invention is enabled through theprovision of a uniquely simple construction employing three verticalpanels in the form of a left side panel, a right side panel, and amiddle panel. The left side panel, the right side panel and the middlepanel are parallel to each other and are connected across their bottomedges by a fioor panel. The vertical panels form two vertical shaft typeopenings, each of which openings can hold and retain two or more rollsof toilet paper which are maintained in position by the floor panel. Anarcuate cutout is provided in each of the vertical panels adjacent thelower ends thereof extending inwardly from the edges so as to enable aneasy removal of toilet paper from the device. Moreover, a rail panelextends across the front of the device immediately below each of thearcuate cutouts and connects the forward edges of the left, right andmiddle panels and the floor panel so that the lowermost roll of paperstored within each of the shaft type openings cannot accidentally rollfonward and out of the storing and dispensing means.

A rear panel is also provided on the rear side of the storing anddispensingmeans and can be provided with holes or the like forconnection to a vertical wall if such a support should be desired.However, the flat floor panel is of sufiicient size so that the deviceis equally satisfactory when merely resting on a horizontal tablesurface or the like. Moreover, the fact that the device is substantiallywider than any of the prior known devices of this sort gives it anadditional stability over any of the other known prior devices whichmight rest on a flat surface. It should be noted that most of the priordevices are incapable of being supported on a fiat surface and must beattached to a vertical wall or similar support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thepreferred embodiment of this invention illustrating a pair of rolls oftoilet paper T in stored condition; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Attention is initially invitedto FIG. 1 which pictorially illustrates the preferred embodiment in amanner easily understood. The preferred embodiment includes a verticallyoriented left side planar panel 20 forming the left side of the device.Similarly, the right side of the device is defined by a verticallyoriented right side planar panel member 22 which is parallel to the leftside panel member 20.

A middle panel member 24, also vertical, is provided midway between theleft side panel 20 and the right side panel 22. The middle panel member24 is also of planar construction.

The rear side of the preferred embodiment is defined by a commonvertical back panel 26 which is also of planar construction andconnected to the rear edges of the left side panel 20, the right sidepanel 22 and the middle panel 24, as shown in FIG. 2. Holes or othersupporting means can be provided in the back panel 26 if desired so asto enable supporting the entire device on a .vertical wall, or othersimilar vertical support by means of screws, nails or the like.

The lowermost edge ends of the left side panel 20, the right side panel22 and the middle panel 24 are connected by a common floor panel 28which forms the lowermost extent of the device forming the preferredembodiment.

A front rail panel 30 is connected to the front edge of the floor panel28 and is also connected to the lowermost portion of the front edges ofthe left side panel 20, the right side panel 22 and the middle panel 24.

The left side panel 20 is provided with an arcuate cutout 32 which hasits lowermost edge beginning adjacent the top of the front rail panel30.

The right side panel 22 is provided with an arcuate cutout 34 which hasits lowermost extent in line With the top of the front rail panel 30.The arcuate cut out 34 is in horizontal alignment with the arcuatecutout 32.

In like manner, the middle panel 24 is also provided with an arcuatecutout 36 which has its lowermost portion adjacent the top of the frontrail panel 30 as shown in FIG. 1.

An upper front panel 38 of planar construction having its bottom edge inalignment with the top of each of the arcuate cutouts 32, 34 and 36 isconnected to the upper portion of the front edges of the left side panel20, the right side panel 22 and the middle panel 24.

The space within the confines of the left side panel 20, or the middlepanel 24 and the left half of the rear panel 26 and the left half of theupper front panel constitutes a toilet paper roll storage and dispensingshaft type space which gives support for a vertical array of toiletpaper rolls.

Similarly, a second toilet paper storage and dispensing shaft typeopening 44 is defined by the right half of the rear panel 26, the rightside panel 22, the right half of the upper front panel 38 and the middlepanel 24. It should be noted that each of these shaft type openings canstore and dispense a plurality of vertically arranged toilet paper rollsT as shown in conjunction with the second shaft type opening 44.

Therefore, it is thought to be readily apparent that the preferredembodiment of this invention provides a uniquely simple, efiicient andreliable construction which can be manufactured and maintained at aminimal cost. Preferably, the entire device would be formed of plasticor other material. However, it should be understood that the subjectinvention can also be manufactured of other conventional material suchas plywood, metal, wood particle board and practically any othersuitable material formable into panels of the required strength andrigidity.

Only the preferred embodiment of this invention has been discussed anddisclosed but it should be understood that other modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art but which will not depart from thespirit and scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.Therefore, it should be understood that this invention is limited solelyby the language of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A toilet paper storing and dispensing means capable Of beingsupported on a flat surface or attached to a Wall for storing anddispensing toilet paper, said storing and dispensing means comprising afirst vertically oriented shaft type storage opening having a lateralwidth slightly greater than the width of a roll of toilet paper to bestored therein and a horizontal depth slightly greater than the diameterof a roll of toilet paper to be stored therein, a second verticallyoriented shaft type storage opening located adjacent said first shafttype opening and having a lateral width slightly greater than the widthof a roll of toilet paper to be stored therein and a horizontal depthslightly greater than the diameter of a roll of toilet paper to bestored therein, said first and second vertical storage shaft typeopenings being formed of a common floor panel having a front edge, acommon back panel, a left side panel, a right side panel, a middle panelseparating said shaft type openings, said left side panel, right sidepanel and middle panel extending perpendicularly to and between saidfront panel and said rear panel, a common front rail panel extendingupwardly a relatively short distance from and above the front edge ofsaid floor panel, an inwardly extending cutout formed in the front edgeof said left side panel and extending upwardly from a point adjacent theupper edge of said front rail panel, an inwardly extending cutout formedin the front edge of said right side panel and extending upwardly from apoint adjacent the upper edge of said front rail panel, an inwardlyextending cutout formed in the front edge of said middle panel andextending upwardly from a point adjacent the upper edge of said frontrail panel, the height of all of said cutouts being greater than thediameter of a roll of toilet paper and an upper front panel connected tosaid left side panel, said right side panel and said middle panel abovesaid cutouts for retaining a stored toilet paper roll in each of saidshafts.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said cutous in said left side panel,said right side panel and said middle panel are arcuate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PATRICK D. LAWSON, PrimaryExaminer

